Athens, OH, was an exciting place to be this past year. While the basketball Bobcats grabbed the major headlines by defeating the #3 seed Georgetown Hoyas in one of the tournament's biggest upsets, the football team also turned in one of the best seasons in the program's last 30 years. The 9-5 record included close losses to BCS-conference foes UConn and Tennessee during the regular season, as well as the nail-biting 21-17 loss to Marshall in the Little Ceasar's Pizza Bowl.
Head coach Frank Solich is now entering his 6th season at OU after spending six years at the helm of Nebraska, and has high expectations for this year's Bobcats (who just wrapped up spring practice yesterday with their annual Spring Game). They return veteran quaterback Boo Jackson along with a host of starters, and are again challenging themselves with a difficult non-conference schedule, playing Ohio State and Marshall on the road in back-to-back weeks early in the season.
Coach Solich took some time recently to answer some questions about how he ended up at Nebraska, what he learned from the legendary Tom Osborne, and why he has enjoyed the Athens community.
Mike Seaman: You played high school football up in the Cleveland area. Why did you choose to go to Nebraska and play for coach Bob Devaney?
Frank Solich: Bob Devaney was a great recruiter and sold my parents and me on Nebraska being the right place for me. Nebraska scholarshipped another player from our team, and we decided to attend Nebraska together.
MS: You spent almost 20 years as an assistant to Tom Osborne. What did you learn from him that you still carry with you today at OU?
FS: Coach Osborne always put the program first in his decision-making. That is what I have tried to do in my career. I also learned from Tom that trust between coaches and athletes is critical.
MS: Your first home game as Ohio head coach was a win over the Pitt Panthers on national TV (16-10 win in overtime on a Friday night, ESPN-televised game). What are your memories of that first game in Athens?
FS: I thought it was a great win for our program. I was really proud of the program and the performance and what they did to get the game won. It was a sell-out crowd at Peden Stadium, and I remember the excitement coming down the stretch of that game and us being able to win at the end.
MS: You have had a lot of success at OU, playing in multiple MAC championship games and bowl games. What are your overall expectations for the next 2-3 years for this program?
FS: My expectations for the program is to continue to move the program forward. We have a very good collection of athletes, guys that are dedicated
year round to making themselves better and putting us in position to win football games. I think we have an excellent coaching staff, guys who are excellent teachers as well as recruiters. We are working at winning conference championships, bowl games, and to continue to graduate our players.
MS: What about Athens endears you to the community?
FS: I enjoy Athens. It offers the uniqueness of a small city, but with a large university it gives you a good mixture which benefits both the university and the community.
MS: You have been part of some great rivalries, both as a player and a coach. How do you compare the OU-Miami game to some of the other ones you have experienced?
FS: The Ohio-Miami rivalry is a great rivalry with an excellent tradition at both schools. I have been a part of other great rivalries and know that
these types of games are exciting for everyone involved – players, coaches, fans.
MS: Finally, just out of curiosity, do you still have a copy of the Sports Illustrated of when you appeared on the cover as a Nebraska player? (Quick note: Solich was the first Nebraska football player to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.)
FS: I do have a copy of that Sports Illustrated.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
NBA Labor Deal Causing More Early Entries
It's a shame what the NBA labor situation is doing to the 2010/2011 college basketball season. Just as a quick back-drop, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NBA owners and Players' Association is set to expire following the 2010/2011 basketball season, and the current prognosis is that the two sides are extremely far apart on negotiations (Sound familiar? This is the same issue that the NFL is facing after this upcoming season as well. Can you imagine a year without professional football AND basketball? Yikes!).
The threat of this lockout hanging over the NBA has forced a larger-than-normal pool of underclassmen to apply for the NBA draft this year. Of course, you have your usual no-brainers (John Wall, Evan Tuner, DeMarcus Cousins, Wes Johnson, Xavier Henry, etc...), but you also have a slew of players who, under normal circumstances, would have no business leaving school early (Demetri McCamey, Talor Battle, and Alex Tyus, to name a few). Seriously, can anyone out there, without looking it up, tell me who Alex Tyus played for in college?
Consider this: an astonishing 56 underclassmen have currently applied for the NBA draft, although many still have until May 8th to withdraw their names so they can play college ball next season due to the fact that they have not signed with an agent. Keep in mind that there are only 60 draft spots in the NBA though, and those 56 certainly don't count any seniors or players from overseas. Of those 56 early entries, 26 are projected to potentially go undrafted (according to nbadraft.net).
How does this all relate? Well, you have a large pool of players trying to get drafted because they fear if they wait another year, there won't be an NBA season to make any money from. I certainly understand their concerns, as we all have the freedom to chase our professional dream whenever we want. The sad reality of this, though, is that almost half of these kids will go undrafted, while at the same time throwing away their opportunity for a free education (and a chance to potentially better prepare themselves for future drafts). My hope is that the majority left who have not yet signed with an agent will return to college; history has shown us that lockouts are few and far between. However, I believe this black cloud hanging over the 2011 draft will force too many to stay in, where you'll never hear from them again unless you love following European professional leagues.
It's unfortunate how this labor situation has so much control over the next college basketball season. This is why I have a lot of admiration for players like Jacob Pullen, Kyle Singler, Kalin Lucas, and more; they have surrounded themselves with the right kind of people to help them make educated decisions for the long-term. Even if a lockout occurs, basketball is not going away forever, and those who deserve it will have plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills down the line.
The threat of this lockout hanging over the NBA has forced a larger-than-normal pool of underclassmen to apply for the NBA draft this year. Of course, you have your usual no-brainers (John Wall, Evan Tuner, DeMarcus Cousins, Wes Johnson, Xavier Henry, etc...), but you also have a slew of players who, under normal circumstances, would have no business leaving school early (Demetri McCamey, Talor Battle, and Alex Tyus, to name a few). Seriously, can anyone out there, without looking it up, tell me who Alex Tyus played for in college?
Consider this: an astonishing 56 underclassmen have currently applied for the NBA draft, although many still have until May 8th to withdraw their names so they can play college ball next season due to the fact that they have not signed with an agent. Keep in mind that there are only 60 draft spots in the NBA though, and those 56 certainly don't count any seniors or players from overseas. Of those 56 early entries, 26 are projected to potentially go undrafted (according to nbadraft.net).
How does this all relate? Well, you have a large pool of players trying to get drafted because they fear if they wait another year, there won't be an NBA season to make any money from. I certainly understand their concerns, as we all have the freedom to chase our professional dream whenever we want. The sad reality of this, though, is that almost half of these kids will go undrafted, while at the same time throwing away their opportunity for a free education (and a chance to potentially better prepare themselves for future drafts). My hope is that the majority left who have not yet signed with an agent will return to college; history has shown us that lockouts are few and far between. However, I believe this black cloud hanging over the 2011 draft will force too many to stay in, where you'll never hear from them again unless you love following European professional leagues.
It's unfortunate how this labor situation has so much control over the next college basketball season. This is why I have a lot of admiration for players like Jacob Pullen, Kyle Singler, Kalin Lucas, and more; they have surrounded themselves with the right kind of people to help them make educated decisions for the long-term. Even if a lockout occurs, basketball is not going away forever, and those who deserve it will have plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills down the line.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Quick Tourney Thoughts....Then Moving Forward
Been away for a while (life on the road!), but I'm working on additional interviews for the blog. In the meantime, I have to say this goes down as one of the more entertaining yet disappointing tournaments I can remember.
First off, the tournament is exciting regardless of who makes it, and this year's games certainly played out that way (Murray St/Vandy, Purdue/A&M, Xavier/K-State, Butler against anyone). That being said, I certainly found the teams to be relatively "ho-hum" at the Final Four. Of all the great teams during the regular season (Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, WVU, and Purdue before the Hummel injury) and all the great individual talent (Evan Turner, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Wes Johnson), it certainly was disappointing that none of them made it to the biggest stage. While the team's that made it were certainly deserving, I still think it was a little anti-climatic.
Looking at the Final Four pool of teams, Butler had the toughest draw throughout the bracket: they beat Syracuse, K-State, and Michigan State to get to the finals. Duke somehow lucked into the easiest bracket of all the #1 seeds, which was a travesty to Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse. They did win the games they were supposed to, which is a credit to them. However, I cannot remember a national championship game with less individual elite talent on the floor at once. As much as everyone wants to say that the best "team" wins, that traditionally has not been the case with the NCAA tournament. If you think back to the last 4 national title games (UNC/MSU, Kansas/Memphis, Ohio State/Florida, and UCLA/Florida), all of those participants had multiple future pros on their rosters. Duke currently has 1-2 pros and Butler probably has none, proving this game was quite the anomaly compared to the last several years.
The good thing is the end of NCAA basketball allows all of us to turn our attention to spring football, the NBA playoffs, and baseball. Plenty of areas to write about in the near future, and excited about what the spring holds for all of us sports fans!
First off, the tournament is exciting regardless of who makes it, and this year's games certainly played out that way (Murray St/Vandy, Purdue/A&M, Xavier/K-State, Butler against anyone). That being said, I certainly found the teams to be relatively "ho-hum" at the Final Four. Of all the great teams during the regular season (Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, WVU, and Purdue before the Hummel injury) and all the great individual talent (Evan Turner, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Wes Johnson), it certainly was disappointing that none of them made it to the biggest stage. While the team's that made it were certainly deserving, I still think it was a little anti-climatic.
Looking at the Final Four pool of teams, Butler had the toughest draw throughout the bracket: they beat Syracuse, K-State, and Michigan State to get to the finals. Duke somehow lucked into the easiest bracket of all the #1 seeds, which was a travesty to Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse. They did win the games they were supposed to, which is a credit to them. However, I cannot remember a national championship game with less individual elite talent on the floor at once. As much as everyone wants to say that the best "team" wins, that traditionally has not been the case with the NCAA tournament. If you think back to the last 4 national title games (UNC/MSU, Kansas/Memphis, Ohio State/Florida, and UCLA/Florida), all of those participants had multiple future pros on their rosters. Duke currently has 1-2 pros and Butler probably has none, proving this game was quite the anomaly compared to the last several years.
The good thing is the end of NCAA basketball allows all of us to turn our attention to spring football, the NBA playoffs, and baseball. Plenty of areas to write about in the near future, and excited about what the spring holds for all of us sports fans!
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